Individuals and institutions are in constant need of information and access to each other and to services worldwide. This critical need for information and access is seemingly limitless and ever present as a consequence of technological advances in communication and connectivity. Nowhere in our society is this need more strongly felt and observed than by Internet and wireless or cellular telephony users everywhere, however, no system is available to serve their needs.
Due to the demand for information, directory assistance is one of the fastest growing segments of the traditional wireline telephone industry. Revenues have exceeded three billion dollars with an estimated call volume in excess of 8 billion inquiries per year. However, the traditional wireline industry is rapidly coming under competitive pressure for use and convenience from the wireless industry.
The cost of service for wireless communication is dramatically decreasing while the features provided are increasing. In addition, wireless communication can offer benefits that wireline cannot. These include 24-hour access in any location, insignificant or non-existent long distance and roaming fees, and in some cases number portability.
The problem with wireless communication that is addressed by the present invention is that there is currently no method for wireless subscribers to engage in commerce by use of their wireless phone number or to access a subscriber, or the number of another wireless subscriber in the same or desperate provider network. This is a significant problem, since wireless service providers have seen an ever increasing number of domestic subscribers, all without a directory assistance listing. Wireless subscribers include traveling professionals, small independent business people, parents, children and “nomadic” students, each with specific needs for connectivity and information, but all of which are entirely inaccessible to the general population unless an information source is developed.
Another problem with traditional telephone directories is the constant demand to maintain and update the called party data. Presently, directory information is limited to traditional wireline services and further limited to include only names and telephone numbers. Due to the dramatic escalation in wireless pre-paid and post paid subscribers and the ever-increasing mobility and demand for services of these subscribers, there is an enormous demand for accurate and up-to-date subscriber data. Another problem with traditional telephone directories is obtaining the desired contact information of the person or company you seek, while only having limited information of their identity.
In 1997, AT&T introduced 00Info. This service was exclusive to AT&T customers only as an alternative to existing directory services such as “411” and “555-1212” and provided access to local and national numbers as well as address and zip code information. As an additional service, AT&T customers could search for a listing by just the spelling of the listing. In 1998, Sprint began to offer their customers national listings in over three thousand communities, and MCI introduced 10-10-9000 for both MCI and non-MCI customers.
Although these systems provide telephone number and some limited address information, none can provide directory access to wireless telephone and Internet subscribers, provide subscriber selected information back to a caller, or direct communication to the subscriber to selected locations such as a home telephone, cell phone, email address, facsimile device, subscriber managed contact information, or e-commerce transaction streams, all of which and more are addressed and solved by the present invention.
Further, with the advent of the Internet and mobile communication, the number of ways individuals communicate with one another has exploded. Consumers have multiple communication devices and communication methods to get connected. As well, consumers belong to multiple affinity groups, whether they are professional, personal or social in nature. These groups could be the local school that one's children belong to, or a project team at work. For these reasons, it is necessary to efficiently manage an individual's contact information various and multiple contact databases. Consumers have mobile phone numbers, fixed line phone numbers, instant message aliases, VoIP numbers, fax numbers, email addresses and other alias-based identities.
A currently existing problem with contact databases addressed by the present invention is an ability to provide accessibility to those with permission, while maintaining privacy protection to sensitive information stored within the database; namely, not revealing contact information, such as a mobile phone number. Further, current contact databases, whether electronic or printed, are often not up to date, containing old and inoperable contact information.
The Internet has also allowed individuals to benefit from alternative communication methods. With the advent of instant messaging and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), individuals can communicate with others, often without paying for communication, or at a cost significantly discounted relative to traditional communication methods. The Internet also allows for alternative forms of payment, shifting the burden of payment to other players within the value chain. As a result, emerging services abound where payment for service is not the burden of the individual initiating the communication. For these reasons, combining the ability to place private calls, while shifting the burden of payment to an alternative player has opportunity.
A problem with current alternative payment protocols, such as advertising sponsorship, is that most advertising systems are based on a word or item placed in a search engine, without approval on the type of message that the advertising receiving individual is willing to accept. Accordingly, what is needed is an advertising model providing: 1) advertisements based on a profile of the individual being targeted (recipient's profile”), rather than an individual conducting a search; and 2) the individual targeted decides and selects appropriate advertisement types and subject areas acceptable. The present invention addresses these issues.